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Shachi
Shachi or Sachi (Sanskrit: शची; also known as Indrani (queen of Indra), Aindrila, Mahendri, Pulomaja and Poulomi) is the goddess of beauty, and a daughter of Puloman, an Asura who was killed by Indrani's future husband, Indra. With Indra, she is the mother of Jayanta, Jayanti, Devasena, and Chitragupta. Shachi is derived from the verb shak or shach—in Vedas, it is said that shakti/Shachi is something a male god possesses, not female, as the goddess itself is shakti. Her Greek equivalent and Roman equivalent are Hera and Juno. Myths & Legends She is a goddess who, even though from a father of demonish origin, is pure, the most beautiful, kind and the one who was a wonder to many eyes. She was, for a short while, considered to be an evil spirit. She was said to be the daughter of a demon; hence she is sometimes referred to as the Goddess of wrath. Then, in later Hindu interpretations, she began personifying jealousy and evil intent, but after a few years, she became an important and highly worshiped Astral Spirit and is worshiped in South India until this day. According to the Rig Veda, Shachi is considered a most fortunate female for Indra granted her immortality. It is said that he chose her over all of the other goddesses because of Her magnetic attractions. Appearance In Hindu epics, she is also described as "The Endless Beauty". She is described as beautiful and having the most beautiful eyes, most notably in the Rig Veda. Due to her beauty, she was a source of jealousy for many because there was no one who did not long for her. In the same hymn of Rig Veda, she was also pictured as jealous of her rivals, and asks a god to rid her of them. It is said that she has similar characteristics to Indra and the same Vahana or vehicle, a white elephant. She is also associated with elephants and lions. Representative of Feminine Might She has a significance in Vedic literature in developing the idea of Shakti which denotes power, the feminine personified might. She gave origin to the concept that a female consort, whether she is Parvati or Kali, is the most important Shakti of all, thus becoming the role model for all the goddesses in later periods (the Purana has several mentions of this concept). In the earlier Vedic accounts, Shachi was depicted as a female shadow of Indra. However, it is said that unlike other goddesses, she possess an independent character of her own. Like many goddess wives who are known by their husband's name like Rudrani, Varuni (wife of Varuna), or Saranya (wife of Sun), Shachi too is called "Indrani" and "Aindri". Also, Indra is known after his wife's name as well; hence he is often referred as Shachipati (husband of Shachi; "pati" is Hindi word for "husband"), Shachindra (Schachi's Indra) or Shachivat (possessor of Shachi). As Indra being king of gods - Devarāja, Indrani is queen of gods - Devarāṇī. Saptamatris (Seven Divine Mother Deities) Goddess Shachi or Indrani is one of the Sapta Matrikas—the seven divine mothers or Saptamatris in Hindu religion. Shachi is rarely worshipped as an independent deity and is usually part of the Saptamatris. A puja dedicated to Goddess Aindrani is performed during the Ashada Navratri. Modern Depictions Film & Animation * In the socio-mythological TV series Santoshi Maa, it portrays about the enmity between the Goddess of Jealousy Poulomi Maa and the Goddess of Satisfaction, peace and contentment Santoshi Maa. Category:Goddesses Category:Hindu mythology Category:Hindu goddesses Category:Beauty gods